When Men Murder Women: A Review of 25 Years of Female Homicide Victimization in the United States

This report reviews 25 years of When Men Murder Women findings using FBI homicide data from 1996–2020 to identify long-term trends in female homicide victimization. During the study period, more than 45,800 women were killed by men in single-victim, single-offender incidents, with 92 percent of victims killed by someone they knew and 61 percent of those victims murdered by an intimate partner. Firearms were used in 53 percent of these homicides, and the report documents increasing firearm-related homicides among Black women, who consistently experienced the highest homicide rates. The report also examines state-level trends and highlights the effectiveness of firearm relinquishment and other domestic violence prevention laws in reducing intimate partner homicides.